Joy Cushman, an administrator, coach and promoter of the sport of Synchronized Swimming (aka Artistic Swimming) will be inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame as a Pioneer Synchronized Swimmer and member of the Class of 2018 in ceremonies in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on May 19, 2018.


JoyCushman

Photo
Courtesy: ISHOF

Joy Cushman was born into an aquatic family that
had a summer beach house in Galveston, Texas. It was where she developed an
early love for swimming, fishing, surfing, and water-skiing. Back in Houston
during the school year, she joined a swimming team. Like most female swimmers in
those days, she performed water ballet routines for her clubs annual water
shows, starting in 1939. It was the great heyday of water shows and the
Aquacades that helped popularize swimming and make Johnny
Weissmuller
, Eleanor Holm, Buster
Crabbe
and Esther Williams superstars.

It was also an era when water ballet was morphing
from the world of entertainment into the physically demanding sport of
synchronized swimming – and Joy fell in love with it.

In 1946, when the AAU officially recognized
synchronized swimming as a sport, Joy won the Texas championship in solo, duet
and team competitions. Then when the Shamrock Hotel opened, with its incredible
swimming pool in 1949, Joy performed for the Opening Gala before a slew of
Hollywood celebrities and tens of thousands of celebrants. Shortly after that,
she started coaching the Shamrock Hotel Corkettes Synchronized Swimming
Team.

Under Joy’s guidance, the Corkettes established
themselves as one of America’s top synchro teams for many decades. They also
performed, along with divers, clown divers, and dancers at every convention
banquet and cocktail party held at the hotel poolside. The funds earned from
these shows enabled her and the team to organize workshops, clinics and
competitions to promote synchro.

Joy’s great strengths were as an administrator,
official and promoter of synchro as an international sport in its formative
years. She conducted many synchro workshops and hosted international swimmers
and teams from Mexico and South American for clinics and competitions in Houston
which helped put synchro in the 1955 Pan American Games as an official sport.
For the 1959 and 1963 Pan Am Games, Joy served as coach and manager of the U.S.
team Synchro Team. Her Pan Am experiences led to a charter position and member
of ASUA Synchro technical committee for many years. She also served on the FINA
Technical Synchro Swimming Committee for 12 years, eight as Vice Chairman, and
four as Honorary Secretary, beginning in 1960.

Joy also gave clinics in Australia, Spain, New
Zealand, Austria, Canada, and in 1966 developed the first Japanese-American dual
meet.

She was the Chair of AAU Synchronized swimming from
1958 – 1963 and served on the United States Olympic Committee Board of Directors
from 1956 to 1975. She was head chaperone for the American delegations that
competed in the 1971 Pan Am Games and 1972 Summer and Winter Olympic Games.

During her career, Joy served as Chief Official for
synchronized swimming at six Olympic Games, nine Pan Am Games and four FINA
World Championships. Among the many awards she has received over the years are
the FINA Silver Pin and the Lillian MacKellar Distinguished Service Award from
United States Swimming.

The
54th Annual International Swimming Hall of Fame Awards Weekend!

International Swimming Hall of Fame

Reserve
Your Hotel Rooms and Purchase Your Tickets Today

May
18-20, 2018 HOTEL INFORMATION

  • Host
    Hotel: Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa

    Four and a half star upscale retreat with private beach access, two pools,
    four restaurants, full service spa and Oceanside bar. Location

    of the
    Saturday evening induction ceremony. ¼ mile south of the International Swimming
    Hall of Fame.

  • Courtyard
    by Marriott Fort Lauderdale Beach

    • 440 Seabreeze Blvd., Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316
      (954) 524-8733;
    • Special ISHOF Guest Rate of $159 per night
    • Please call 954 524-8733 and mention Swimming Hall of Fame
      Honoree Ceremony for the special Rate of $159.

For more hotel or ticket Information contact Meg Keller-Marvin meg@ishof.org /
570-594-4367

ishof-helicopter-view

The
Weekend Lineup

Friday,
May 18th – Paragon & ISHOF Awards Night

5:30 Cocktails, 6:30 PM ISHOF and Paragon Awards at
ISHOF Museum

  • 2018
    Paragon Award Recipients:

    • Frank Busch for Competitive Swimming
    • Dr. Ben Rubin for Diving
    • Bob Corb for Water Polo
    • Jennifer Gray for Synchronized Swimming
    • David Bell for Recreational Swimming
    • Jill White for Water Safety

2018
ISHOF Award Recipients:

    • Anthony Ervin and Constantine Markides
      Buck Dawson Author Award: “Chasing Water: Elegy of an
      Olympian
    • Gay DeMario – ISHOF Service Award
    • Lana Whitehead – Judge G. Harold Martin Award
    • Johnny Johnson – Virginia Hunt Newman Award
    • Kathy Bateman – John K. Williams, Jr.
      International Adapted Aquatics Award
    • Bob Ingram – Al Schoenfield Media Award

Saturday,
May 19th – Induction Day Schedule

  • Multiple
    Events Throughout The Day

    • Luncheon from
      11:30-12:30 PM ISHOF Banquet Hall
    • ISHOF Clinic for Kids produced by Fitter
      and Faster with Olympian Cammile Adams 11-2 PM At Hall of Fame Pool
    • Autograph Session at the Hall of Fame Pool
    • Possible NISCA High School Coaches Clinic – (To
      Be Announced)
    • Possible CSCAA High School Recruiting Seminar –
      (To Be Announced)
  • Official
    54th Annual International Swimming Hall of Fame Induction
    Ceremony

VIP Reception 6:00 PM, Induction Ceremony 7:00 –10:00 PM at Fort
Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort and Spa

Honor
Swimmers

Rebecca Adlington (GBR)

Amanda Beard (USA)

Libby Trickett (AUS) *May not be available

Honor
Water Polo Player

Brenda Villa (USA)

Honor
Diver

Irina Lashko (USSR, RUS, AUS)

Honor
Synchronized Swimmer

Miho Takeda (JPN)

Joy Cushman – Pioneer Contributor (USA)

Honor
Open Water Swimmer

Petar Stoychev (BUL)

Honor
Coach

Bill Sweetenham (AUS)

Honor
Contributor

Andy Burke (USA)

Special
Recognition Inductees

Ian Crocker (USA) Honor Swimmer was part of the Class of 2017, but was
unable to attend the induction due to Hurricane Harvey. We will be officially
celebrating his induction as part of the class of 2018.

Sunday,
May 20th – Celebration Day

WEEKEND
TICKET INFORMATION

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